List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union

The order in which the original 13 states ratified the 1787 Constitution, then the order in which the others were admitted to the Union

A state of the United States is one of the 50 constituent entities that shares its sovereignty with the federal government. Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside, due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the federal government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names.

States are the primary subdivisions of the United States. They possess all powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to them by the Constitution of the United States. In general, state governments have the power to regulate issues of local concern, such as regulating intrastate commerce, running elections, creating local governments, public school policy, and non-federal road construction and maintenance. Each state has its own constitution grounded in republican principles, and government consisting of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

All states and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state is represented by two senators, and at least one representative, while the size of a state's House delegation depends on its total population, as determined by the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Additionally, each state is entitled to select a number of electors to vote in the Electoral College, the body that elects the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States, equal to the total of representatives and senators in Congress from that state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50. Each new state has been admitted on an equal footing with the existing states.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of U.S. states

The following table is a list of all 50 states and their respective dates of statehood. The first 13 became states in July 1776 upon agreeing to the United States Declaration of Independence, and each joined the first Union of states between 1777 and 1781, upon ratifying the Articles of Confederation, its first constitution.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (A separate table is included below showing AoC ratification dates.) These states are presented in the order in which each ratified the 1787 Constitution and joined the others in the new (and current) federal government. The date of admission listed for each subsequent state is the official date set by Act of Congress.Template:Refn

State		Date (admitted or ratified)	Formed from
1	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist>Template:Cite book</ref> (ratified)	Colony of DelawareTemplate:Refn
2	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (ratified)	Proprietary Province of Pennsylvania
3	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (ratified)	Crown Colony of New Jersey
4	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony of Georgia
5	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (ratified)	Crown Colony of Connecticut
6	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony of Massachusetts Bay
7	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Proprietary Province of Maryland
8	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony of South Carolina
9	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony of New Hampshire
10	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony and Dominion of Virginia
11	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (ratified)	Crown Colony of New York
12	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (ratified)	Crown Colony of North Carolina
13	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=JRVlist/> (ratified)	Crown Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
14	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Template:Sort
15	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Virginia (nine counties in its District of KentuckyTemplate:Refn)
16	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Southwest Territory
17	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Refn (admitted)	Northwest Territory (part)
18	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Template:Sort
19	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Indiana Territory
20	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Mississippi Territory
21	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Illinois Territory (part)
22	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Alabama Territory
23	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Massachusetts (District of MaineTemplate:Refn)
24	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Missouri Territory (part)
25	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Arkansas Territory
26	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Michigan Territory
27	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Florida Territory
28	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Template:Sort
29	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Iowa Territory (part)
30	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Wisconsin Territory (part)
31	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Unorganized territoryTemplate:\Mexican Cession (part)Template:Refn
32	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Minnesota Territory (part)
33	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Oregon Territory (part)
34	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Kansas Territory (part)
35	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Virginia (50 Trans-Allegheny region countiesTemplate:Refn)
36	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Nevada Territory
37	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Nebraska Territory
38	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Colorado Territory
39	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=39&40>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn (admitted)	Dakota Territory (part)
40	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name=39&40/>Template:Refn (admitted)	Dakota Territory (part)
41	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> (admitted)	Montana Territory
42	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Washington Territory
43	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Idaho Territory
44	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (admitted)	Wyoming Territory
45	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Utah Territory
46	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory
47	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name="NM AZ">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	New Mexico Territory
48	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref name="NM AZ" /> (admitted)	Arizona Territory
49	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Template:Sort
50	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> (admitted)	Template:Sort

Articles of Confederation ratification dates

The Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation for ratification by the individual states on November 15, 1777. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. On March 4, 1789, the general government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the present Constitution.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

State		Date
Template:Sort	Virginia	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	South Carolina	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	New York	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Rhode Island	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Connecticut	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Georgia	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	New Hampshire	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Pennsylvania	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Massachusetts	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	North Carolina	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	New Jersey	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Delaware	Template:Dts
Template:Sort	Maryland	Template:Dts

See also

• Territorial evolution of the United States
• Enabling Act of 1802, authorizing residents of the eastern portion of the Northwest Territory to form the state of Ohio
• Missouri Compromise, 1820 federal statute enabling the admission of Missouri (a slave state) and Maine (a free state) into the Union
• Toledo War, 1835–36 boundary dispute between Ohio and the adjoining Michigan Territory, which delayed Michigan's admission to the Union
• Texas annexation, the 1845 incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States as a state in the Union

• Legal status of Texas

• Compromise of 1850, a package of congressional acts, one of which provided for the admission of California to the Union
• Bleeding Kansas, a series of violent conflicts in Kansas Territory involving anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions in the years preceding Kansas statehood, 1854–61
• Enabling Act of 1889, authorizing residents of Dakota, Montana, and Washington territories to form state governments (Dakota to be divided into two states) and to gain admission to the Union
• Oklahoma Enabling Act, authorizing residents of the Oklahoma and Indian territories to form a state government and to be admitted to the union as a single state, and, authorizing the people of New Mexico and Arizona territories to form a state government and be admitted into the Union, requiring a referendum to determine if both territories should be admitted as a single state
• Alaska Statehood Act, admitting Alaska as a state in the Union as of January 3, 1959
• Hawaii Admission Act, admitting Hawaii as a state in the Union as of August 21, 1959

• Legal status of Hawaii

• List of states and territories of the United States
• Federalism in the United States
• 51st state

External links

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